Midway through the second half of Porter’s return on Thursday, ESPN flashed a graphic showing that despite Porter shooting 3-12 from the field to that point, Missouri was plus-4 with him on the court.
I don’t know how much it actually statistically indicates his impact on the game, as Missouri’s offense did not flow as well when Porter was in the game during certain stretches. However, Porter’s presence forced the defense into tougher decisions and created space in the middle of the floor for his teammates, especially Kassius Robertson, to score.
His chemistry with brother Jontay really got going late in the game.
Mizzou just ran a play where Jontay handled and Michael screened and it turned into two FTs for Jontay. Please let this team play eight more games.
— Brendon Kleen (@BrendonKleen14) March 8, 2018
The Tigers have a chance to make a run this March after a legitimate Cinderella season already. Porter was rusty, missing most of his shots way short, as coach Cuonzo Martin noticed during his halftime interview.
But he did some fun stuff and adds an exciting element to this team, no doubt.